From concert band to jazz band: what changes on drums

In concert band, the percussion section usually splits the work. One person plays snare, another plays bass drum, another plays cymbals, and someone else is on mallets or timpani. Most parts are written out, and the conductor shows the tempo. In jazz band, one drummer covers snare, bass drum, hi-hat, and cymbals on a drum set, playing the kit's parts at the same time. The part often shows only some of what you play, and you make more of the groove yourself. Keeping the tempo is the whole band's job, and the drummer carries a big share of it.

At a glance

One player, four limbs

On drum set, your right hand plays the ride cymbal or the hi-hat, your left hand plays the snare, your right foot plays the bass drum, and your left foot works the hi-hat pedal (left-handed drummers often mirror this). If you've mostly played snare and mallets, your feet are the new part. It may feel slow at first. Learn each limb's part alone, then add one at a time, as in drum set coordination.

Set the kit up to fit you before the first rehearsal. A throne at the wrong height makes everything else harder. See how to set up a drum set.

Reading the part

A concert band snare part like this one writes out every note you play:

A jazz drum chart often writes out a bar or two of the groove, then switches to slashes. Slashes mean keep playing time in the style at the top of the chart. Small notes above the staff show rhythms the horns play together. For each one, you decide whether to catch it with the band, set it up, or keep the groove going and leave space.

This is the biggest change. In most concert band music, you play what's written, though some parts ask you to improvise, repeat a pattern, or choose how to play a passage. In jazz band, much of what you play isn't written note for note, so you make more of the decisions: how to keep the groove going, which figures to support, and when to leave space. For slashes, figures, setups, and road maps, see how to read a jazz band drum chart.

Keeping the tempo

In concert band, you watch the conductor. In jazz band, the director often counts the tune off and then stops conducting. Keeping the tempo is still everyone's job, but the band listens closely to your ride cymbal and hi-hat, and to the bass player. If you speed up, the band will probably go with you, so keep the pulse even and easy to hear.

• Lock in with the bass player. Set up close enough to hear each other clearly.
• Keep the same tempo through solos, fills, and loud sections. Many drummers tend to rush in loud sections, so listen for it there.
• After a fill, come back in exactly on beat 1.
• Practice with a metronome clicking on 2 and 4, where the hi-hat pedal goes in swing.

Swing eighth notes

In most concert band music, eighth notes are even. In a swing tune, they're written the same way but played long-short. A good model to start with is a triplet: the first note of each pair takes two-thirds of the beat. Players change that split with the tempo and the style. The ride pattern below plays it both ways, using the triplet model for Swung.

Listen to recordings of big bands to hear how swing feels at different tempos. For the swing pattern and other styles, see common drum beats.

Volume and touch

Concert band dynamics apply to the whole section, and you blend in with the other percussionists. On drum set, you balance yourself against a whole band:

• Play the ride lightly. It carries the time, and it doesn't need to be loud to be heard.
• Keep the bass drum soft in swing. Save the louder notes for the band's big hits.
• Drop down under a soloist, then come back up when the full band plays.
• On ballads, brushes are a common choice. Sticks played lightly on the ride also work. Follow the chart or your director.

What carries over from concert band

A lot does. Counting rests, reading rhythms, and following dynamics all work the same way. Your rudiments turn into fills and setups, and a strong single stroke roll goes straight into fills around the toms. Read drum fills for beginners next.

What to bring

• Drumsticks. Many jazz drummers use a lighter pair than concert snare sticks, such as 7A. Ask your director what they like.
• Brushes, if your band plays ballads or other soft tunes.
• A pencil, to mark the road map and the band's hits in your part.

Practice

Start with the swing groove in Play-along in Percussion Trainer. It plays with you and marks each hit early, late, or on time. When that's comfortable, try On your own, which gives you only a click, so you hold the tempo yourself. Then try the other styles your band plays, like rock, funk, or bossa nova.